Process for preparing granular potassium sorbate

Abstract

A process for preparing granular potassium sorbate by adding water or a mixture of water and an organic solvent to powdery potassium sorbate, kneading the resulting mixture under specific conditions to give a uniformly wetted powder, supplying the wetted powder to a screw type extruding machine, extruding the wetted powder through a perforated-cylinder die under specific conditions to give a vermicelli-like extrudate, and drying the extrudate.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A process for preparing granular potassium sorbate, which comprises the steps of a. adding water to powdery potassium sorbate in an amount of 2 to 8% by weight based on the weight of the potassium sorbate,   b. kneading the resulting mixture at a temperature of 10° to 45° C. for 10 minutes to 4 hours to give a uniformly wetted powder,   c. supplying the wetted powder to a hopper of a screw type extruding machine equipped with a perforated cylinder die at a vicinity of an end of a screw, and extruding it under an extruding pressure at said die of 10 to 50 kg./cm 2 ., and an extruding rate at said die of 1 to 4 g./cm 2 .sec. to give a vermicelli-like extrudate, and   d. drying the extrudate to give granules having a volatile material content of not more than 0.1% by weight.   
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1, wherein an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, isopropanol and acetone was further added to powdery potassium sorbate in an amount of not more than 15% by weight based on the weight of the potassium sorbate.